EUCLID, Ohio — Residents of a Euclid apartment complex packed up and moved out late Tuesday morning, with a noon deadline to vacate, after the city of Euclid condemned Lakeland Commons.
RELATED: Euclid apartment residents forced out with less than a week’s notice
Christian Maynor said he learned about the condemnation when he returned home from work late last Tuesday.
"I had a letter on my door that stated the city of Euclid has condemned the building and all the residents must evacuate by June 30 at 12 p.m.,” said Maynor.
Angela Weaver is moving in with her son. She said she has had problems since she moved in.
"I moved in November, mid-December, my ceiling started leaking. I had a little heat, so I had to use my oven and my space heater to warm," Weaver said.
Some residents said they are not surprised the buildings were condemned.
"You got concrete falling from the balcony, the grass hasn't been cut, the weeds are this high," said resident Isaiah Lewis.
The issues were dangerous enough that Kristal Grida, with the City of Euclid, said the condemnation notice was necessary.
"There's been some deferred maintenance that reached to that level, so in order for these residents to be healthy and safe, we need them to leave,” said Grida.
Grida also said all residents of Lakeland Commons were required to leave by Tuesday at noon. Police went door-to-door to make sure everyone was out of the building.
Nearby Lakeland Tower is open. That’s because the owner of the property has filed an appeal. Management declined to comment on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it sent us a statement, saying:
"We are an out-of-state investor and purchased Lakeland Tower last year. We have already invested hundreds of thousands of dollars to rehab Lakeland Tower. We have some city violations that we are still working to resolve. However, we have not been issued any condemnation orders like Lakeland Commons."
The city of Euclid is working to help those who are displaced.
"It's a lot for these families,” said Grida.
The city gathered several organizations to assist residents, including the Legal Aid Society of Cleveland, which will work with tenants. Elizabeth Zak is concerned about crumbling cement.
"There are also some fire safety concerns; the roof needs to be replaced, so these are big structural repairs that are really putting the tenants in danger,” said Zak.
The Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless is also working to help keep residents from becoming homeless.
The appeal is expected to be heard in court next month.
